NFSA's Kodak/Atlab Cinema Collection: Strikebound

Richard Lowenstein's film based on the real-life miners' strike at Korumburra in 1937 has not had the attention it deserves as one of the very few Australian films to adopt an overtly political stance in relation to a matter of serious social concern. This would not, of course, ensure its being a notable film – good intentions can carry the filmmaker only so far – but, as Terry Hayes' fine study makes clear, Lowenstein and his collaborators have brought acumen as well as sympathetic involvement to their treatment of the subject. The film combines good humour with dramatic tension, documentary attention to realism and political fervour. As well, this essay situates Strikebound in a number of contexts that illuminate its significance and bring it to the attention of a new generation of filmgoers.

Additional keywords: strike, mine, miner, mining, history, politics, class, working class, solidarity, egalitarianism, democracy.